Childhood Disease
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: A childhood disease comes back with a vengence; threatening Johnny's career and his life. COMPLETE
1. Unwell

**Childhood Disease**

By

**Numb3rsfan**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Warnings: Angst, H/C and maybe some language here and there.**

**Author's Notes: Some ideas have been taken from the Cloud 10 film "Miracle of the Cards."**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I own no part of Emergency and I own no part of "Miracle of the Cards."**

**Summary: A childhood disease comes back with a vengeance; threatening Johnny's career and his life.**

_EMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCY_

Chapter One: Unwell

Today was like any other day for the men at Station 51…except for the fact that it was so slow!

They had maybe four runs all shift, so naturally they had all of their assigned tasks done and were now all mingling outside.

Johnny and Roy were playing a friendly game of catch, Marco and Chet were playing basketball and Mike was sitting down on a bench working on his cup stacking.

Cup Stacking was soon to be a national sport; besides that there was a tournament in two days and Mike had entered in.

Cap was watching his men goof around. He watched Johnny purposely throw the baseball over Roy's head to watch it bounce off of the fence and come back to Roy; he also watched Marco shoot what would have been a three pointer before Chet knocked him down…and yet the ball still went through the hoop; and then Cap watched Mike perform the Cycle in the blink of an eye.

At the side of the fire station's backyard, Roy bent down and picked up the baseball from where it had come to a stop after it had hit the fence.

Sighing, Roy pitched it back to his partner; making sure to throw it over Johnny's head.

Johnny tracked the baseball with his eyes as he moved backwards to try and catch it.

As he did he had no idea that he was moving towards the left…until he bumped in to Marco and Chet, sending all three of them to the ground while the baseball hit the ground and rolled to a stop at Cap's feet.

"Geez Gage! Walk in a straight line will you?" Chet grumbled as he shoved Johnny a little bit.

"Sorry." Johnny replied as he stood up and brushed himself off before retrieving the baseball and chucking it back to Roy.

As Cap watched this scene unfold he was reminded that this wasn't the first time he had witnessed Johnny's inability to walk in a straight line.

Earlier that day he had seen Johnny drag a length of hose to the right as he was trying to follow Roy in to a burning house.

Cap had attributed this to smoke inhalation because Johnny hadn't been wearing his mask properly, but now he wasn't so sure.

Thirty minutes later Mike was putting his cups away, Chet and Marco had wrapped up their game of basketball, and Johnny and Roy were removing their gloves.

As one they all headed inside for a glass of water.

Getting their drinks, Chet and Roy settled down on the couch, Cap went to his office, Marco and Mike settled down at the table and Johnny left the room.

Once out of sight he raised a hand to his head and grimaced as he crossed to the dorm.

Going over to his bed Johnny sat down and reached under his bed to where he kept a few little odds and ends, such as Q-tips handy.

Taking out a Q-tip Johnny proceeded to clean his ears, however just as he started, he immediately jerked the Q-tip out and dropped it before placing his hand over his ear in a protective manner.

The pain was enormous and was bad enough that Johnny whimpered a little for a minute or two before he slowly removed his hand.

It was then that he realized that his ear felt really clogged up…like it usually did when he had a cold, but it was only that one ear…for now.

Feeling tired, Johnny yawned and settled out on his bed before shutting his eyes and falling asleep.

He had only meant to get twenty minutes shut eye but by the time Roy came to wake him up, it was dark out.

"Johnny. It's dinner time. C'mon Stoker made spaghetti." Roy said, knowing that Mike Stoker's spaghetti was one of his and Johnny's favorites.

Opening his eyes Johnny sat up and was still for a moment as he took stock of how he felt.

With an inward smile he realized that his ear didn't hurt anymore…nor did it feel all clogged up.

"Right behind you, partner." Johnny said as he stood up and hurriedly followed Roy to the day room where everyone else was seated at the table and digging in to their dinner.

Sitting down at his place at the table, Johnny helped himself to a good sized portion of the spaghetti before chowing down.

He ate like a starved man, never coming up for air until his plate was clean, and even so he was the last man to finish up his dinner.

By this time Cap, Marco, Mike and Chet were all seated in front of the television while Roy was stuck with the dishes.

Wiping the spaghetti sauce from his mouth, Johnny stood up fully intending to take his plate and fork to the sink so Roy could wash and clean them as well when he stopped.

Quickly his face turned pale before he turned around to his plate which was still on the table.

Back arching, Johnny was practically flung forward as he vomited up everything that he had eaten.

Hearing this Roy whirled around and watched Johnny getting sick, and even if that wasn't bad enough, Roy saw that it was like an explosion, which was worse than just the normal vomiting.

Not even bothering to dry his hands, Roy rushed over to his partner and sat him back in his chair so that he could get a good look at him.

Johnny's face was pale, his eyes drooping.

He looked worn out for sure, and he also seemed like he was in some sort of trance because he kept staring at the far wall.

"Johnny…Johnny are you ok?" Roy asked, gently shaking his partner's shoulders.

When no reply was forthcoming, Roy looked at everyone else who had joined him at the table, more concerned for their downed friend than the game show on TV.

"Cap get an ambulance, Chet get the biophone and drug box. Mike, Marco, help me get him on to the floor." Roy ordered as he went in to paramedic mode.

Quickly Cap ran to the phone while Chet ran for the Squad. Mike and Marco by that time had helped Roy gently ease Johnny down to the floor.

"What do you think's wrong with him?" Marco asked as he watched Roy unbutton Johnny's uniform while he waited for Chet, who was just appearing through the doorway; biophone and drug box in hand.

"I have no idea." Roy replied; taking the requested items from his fireman friend.

Opening up the drug box Roy reached in the bottom and took out the stethoscope before realizing that they had placed the BP cuff in another box.

"Marco go get the BP cuff, Johnny put it in the IV box…and bring that box as well!" Roy ordered, placing the stethoscope in his ears.

"Right." Marco replied, standing up and exiting the room at a run.

Not waiting for Marco to come back, Roy began checking his friend over. He checked Johnny's pupils, listened to his heart and was now checking his temperature when Marco came back lugging the IV box in to the room.

Setting the box down beside Roy, Marco opened it up and wordlessly handed him the BP cuff which Roy took and fastened to Johnny's arm.

Two minutes later Roy jotted down the results while Mike set up the link to Rampart.

Nodding his thanks to Mike, Roy grabbed the biophone and placed it to his ear.

"Rampart Base this is Station 51, Rampart Base this is Station Five One." Roy said in to the receiver.

While he waited for a reply he looked to Mike and said, "Check his temp."

Not two seconds later Roy heard Dr. Brackett's voice coming from the built in speaker of the biophone.

"_Station 51 this is Rampart. Go ahead."_

"Rampart we have a 28 year old paramedic down. About 5 minutes ago he vomited like an explosion. He is now shaky and diaphoretic. Vital signs are; BP 90/100, Pulse 70, pupils are unequal Rampart. Temperature is…hold on Rampart." Roy said, breaking the connection as he looked to Mike who paled considerably.

"His temperature is 104, Roy." Mike said.

"Rampart, patient's temperature is 104." Roy relayed.

"_10-4 Station 51. Start cooling measures, also start IV D5W TKO. Get him in here as fast as you can." _Dr. Brackett ordered.

"10-4 Rampart. The ambulance has now arrived. ETA 7 minutes." Roy said before he put the biophone down while Captain Stanley opened the front door to allow the ambulance attendants to enter the room.

Carefully Roy stood up and gripped Johnny's shoulders, signaling to Marco to get Johnny's feet, before the two of them hoisted Johnny up and on to the gurney.

Once he was secured, Roy had the attendants blanket his partner up before he expertly started the IV which he hadn't had a chance to start before.

Once that was done Roy followed the attendants out to the ambulance before climbing in and settling back while Johnny was loaded up and the doors shut.

"Don't worry partner, we'll have you at Rampart in no time." Roy said as he glanced at his partner who now looked like he was at least more or less aware of his surroundings.

"…ungh…my head hurts…feel like I have water in my ears." Johnny mumbled with a slight shake of his head.

Roy had nothing to say to this so he didn't say anything as the ambulance lurched forward on its way to the hospital.


	2. X Rays

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Two: X-Rays

Once the back doors of the ambulance opened Roy saw Dixie and Dr. Brackett waiting for them.

"Give me an update!" Dr. Brackett ordered as he shined a pen light in Johnny's eyes.

"He vomited again two minutes ago. His fever's also gone down to 102." Roy said, a bit mystified by that.

"Treatment 2!" Kel ordered to the attendants who wheeled Johnny down the hall and in to Treatment Room 2.

Smoothly they transferred him on to the exam room table before exiting the room taking their gurney with them.

"Dix draw blood for CBC type and cross match. Also I want x-ray's taken of the cranial area. I want that done STAT." Kel said while Roy hung the IV.

"Right away Kel." Dixie muttered before she went to the phone and ordered a portable x-ray be brought to the treatment room.

Roy now feeling like a third wheel just took a few steps back and leaned against the far table watching Kel work on his partner.

After Dix drew the blood and gave it to another nurse she turned and saw Roy still standing there.

Crossing to him she placed a hand on his arm before gesturing to the door.

"Let's us get a cup of coffee." She said.

Roy sighed but followed her out in to the hall.

The last thing on his mind was a cup of coffee, but he knew Dixie and he knew that she had things well under control in Johnny's case.

Entering the doctor's lounge Roy crossed to a table and sat down while Dixie got two cups of coffee before joining him at the table.

"Roy…you did nothing wrong." Dixie said, seeing the look on Roy's face.

"Yeah I know that but…I saw the look on Johnny's face…I knew he wasn't feeling well…I…I ignored the signs." He replied.

"Don't blame yourself. It might not have made any difference anyway if you hadn't seen the signs." Dixie said as she passed one of the two cups of coffee to Roy who took it and stared in to the black liquid.

"Dix," Roy began after a moment, "do you have any idea what could be wrong with him this time?"

"It could be any number of things Roy. However, we should know for sure in an hour." Dixie replied.

Roy nodded his head already thinking to himself that he should just sit there and wait, but Dixie was way ahead of him.

"Why don't you call your captain and update him? I'm sure he's already called in a replacement for you and Johnny." She suggested.

"Yeah…but what kind of update can I give him? The usual 'they don't know' tirade?" Roy asked.

"The truthful tirade." Dixie replied with a smile before she patted Roy shoulder.

Standing up she took her cup of coffee to the small sink before setting it down and leaving the lounge.

_EMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCY_

An hour later Dixie reentered the doctor's lounge to find Roy still seated there.

She doubted he had even moved an inch this past hour, but it didn't matter because she had a feeling that Roy wouldn't call the fire station so soon, so she had done it for him…this once anyway.

Now she was here to collect Roy because the results were in.

Raising his head Roy looked at Dixie; seeing her motioning for him to follow.

Standing Roy left the doctor's lounge and walked with Dixie all the way to Treatment room 2.

Upon entering the room Roy saw that Johnny wasn't there, and then it dawned on him that he remembered some nurse telling him that Johnny had been moved to the ICU.

Glancing at Dr. Brackett's face Roy could tell that Johnny had a serious problem.

Knowing that he had a concerned paramedic behind him, Kel Brackett sighed before looking back at Roy DeSoto.

"There's no easy way of saying this Roy but the x-ray's show that Johnny has a brain tumor." Kel began.

"What? That…that's impossible!" Roy exclaimed, stepping forward to see for himself.

"Its right there," Kel replied; pointing out the mass on the x-ray, "It's the size of an orange, Roy."

Hearing that caused Roy to audibly gasp as he continued to stare at the x-ray.

When he had been younger his mother had a tumor and had nearly died from it, so now whenever Roy heard the word tumor he had to force himself not to start shaking.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Roy turned and fixed Dr. Brackett with semi pleading eyes as he asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Well, I haven't seen a tumor quite like that one. I hate to say it but…there's really no one here that can read these scans in greater depth." Kel replied.

Roy was shocked at this; he always thought that Dr. Brackett was the miracle worker of miracle workers, and to hear Kel Brackett say that he couldn't understand a simple x-ray was mind boggling!

Seeing Roy's face Kel had to smile a little for he understood completely how Roy felt.

"I'm sorry Roy, but this tumor requires specialized care, and I can't provide that, which is why I'm going to have him transferred over to Saint Frances to see Dr. Connors."

"Who's he?" Roy asked.

"Dr. Connors is a neurologist Roy; he's the best in the state." Kel replied.

Roy sighed, knowing that there was still one question that had gone unanswered here.

"Dr. Brackett there is one thing I want to know and I want to know it straight. Is Johnny going to die?"

Kel was silent for a moment before he glanced back at Dixie who lowered her eyes a bit; already knowing the answer.

"It's a possibility Roy, it's a possibility." Kel answered, fully knowing that this knowledge was sure to tear Roy up inside.

"Thanks doctor." Roy muttered before he turned and left the room, suddenly feeling as if his whole world was now crashing down on him.

Walking over to the nearest bench Roy crashed down in to it; banging his head against the wall as his mind tried to process everything that had happened in the past ten minutes.

Knowing that Captain Stanley would want an update, Roy nearly rose to go over to the phone but then he stopped himself. He couldn't tell Hank that Johnny had a brain tumor and could possibly die…not over the phone at any rate, so instead he rose up to call one other person…Joanne.

Slowly he explained to her what exactly was going on as far as he knew.

Joanne assured him that she was on her way to the hospital and would be there soon, while suggesting that he call his captain.

Roy had been about to say that it might not be a good idea, but Joanne had already hung up leaving Roy holding the bag.

Slowly Roy hung up the phone before grabbing it again and placing more change in.

Then he dialed the station and waited for Hank to pick up which didn't take long.

Within seconds he heard the familiar, _"Station 51, this is Captain Stanley."_

Roy opened his mouth to speak but no words would come because his mind had gone blank.

"_Hello?...Hello this is Station 51."_

Licking his lips Roy closed his eyes before saying, "Cap…it's Roy."

"_Roy! How's Johnny doing? Dixie called a little while ago and said they were waiting for the results of the x-rays."_ Hank said.

"Yeah. The uh…the results came in a few minutes ago." Roy answered trying to think of some way to stall the inevitable.

"_Well?"_ Hank prompted.

"Cap…I…" Roy paused before he took a deep breath; pressing ahead, "Johnny has a…Johnny has a brain tumor."

The silence on the other end was deafening.

Roy could hear Hank hitch his breath when he first heard the news, and now Roy was listening to Cap's breathing while he imagined Cap trying to process the information.

"_What are they going to do about it?"_ Hank finally asked.

"None of the people at Rampart can do a thing about it Cap. That's why Dr. Brackett is going to be sending him to a Dr. Connors at Saint Frances." Roy replied.

At this point Hank Stanley wished that his shift was over because he doubted he could work with a clear and level head now knowing that his youngest paramedic could lose his life over a brain tumor.

"_We'll…we'll be over at Saint Frances as soon as the shift ends, Roy. Let us know when they've transferred him."_ Hank requested.

"Yes, sir." Roy answered before he said goodbye and hung up.

Walking back to his bench Roy sat back down before leaning forward and lowering his head; his shoulders slumping in defeat.

This day had gone from bad to worse in the course of an hour and now it felt to Roy as if it was steaming ahead and he was just along for the ride.

Knowing Dixie would come get him when he could see Johnny, all Roy could do for the present was wait for Dixie to come…or wait for Joanne to arrive.


	3. Meeting the Neurologist

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Three: Meeting the Neurologist

Roy and Joanne paused outside of the door to Johnny's room at Rampart General.

They both knew that they would be able to see Johnny for a little under an hour while preparations were being made to transport him to Saint Frances.

Opening the door, Roy allowed Joanne to enter first before following her in to the room.

There on the bed, eyes closed lay Johnny.

He was wearing a white with blue type polka dotted hospital gown, while he had at least two IV's hooked up.

Hearing the door open, Johnny opened his eyes slightly to eye his visitors. Recognizing Roy, Johnny gave a weak smile.

"Hey partner." Johnny murmured, watched as Roy and Joanne sat down in the two available chairs.

"How are you feeling?" Joanne asked as she reached out and patted Johnny's arm; trying to comfort him the only way she knew how.

"Tired…can't see straight half the time…and I have water in my ears." Johnny murmured.

Hearing this Roy cast his gaze upon the ground now studying the very interesting pattern on the tiles.

"It's bad isn't it?"

Slowly raising his head Roy caught and held Johnny's gaze for just a moment, not having the courage to answer Johnny's question or fill him in about the brain tumor.

Seeing the look in his partner's eyes Johnny managed to weakly nod his head before he murmured, "It's a brain tumor; isn't it?"

"Now why do you say that?" Joanne whispered before she glanced at Roy to see his reaction.

"Because…this isn't the first time I've had one. When I was eight years old and living on the reservation with my parents I ended up getting a real bad one. I didn't understand it all at the time; you know…why I had to have surgery after surgery and nothing seemed to help. It was only two years after I was cured that mom and dad finally told me that what I had was called a teratoma." Johnny whispered.

"What's a teratoma?" Roy asked.

"It's a rare type of tumor sometimes affiliated with cancer…that's all I really know about it." Johnny weakly replied.

"Wait a minute…why'd you have to have more than one surgery?" Roy questioned.

"I don't know. I had one…then mom and the doctors put me through radiation and chemotherapy for some reason then they stopped." Johnny mumbled.

Roy was about to ask something else when Dixie and two orderlies came in.

"Are you ready to go, Johnny?" Dixie asked; pasting a smile on to her face as the orderlies wheeled a gurney into the room.

"Go…go where?" Johnny softly asked; the monitor at his side showing his confusion and concern.

"Johnny…none of the doctors here can help you; not even Dr. Brackett, which is why he's transferring you over to Saint Frances." Roy explained as he placed a friendly hand on his partner's shoulder.

Johnny shot Roy what looked to be a semi- pleading semi- scared look before the orderlies scooted him on to the gurney and took him from the room.

_EMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCYEMERGENCY_

The minute Roy walked in to the Saint Frances waiting room he saw everyone from the Station 51 A-Shift lounging about in chairs that lined one wall.

Seeing his captain, Roy walked over to him and asked him if he had heard anything.

Captain Stanley shook his head and watched his senior paramedic sit down beside him.

"They brought him in over two hours ago and they are still getting everything situated." Hank said.

"I called Dr. Connors before I left Rampart. At first he wanted to talk with Johnny's next of kin, but after I told him that I was Johnny's next of kin he said that he'd discuss his 'findings' with me." Roy said.

"You'll let us know what he says?" Cap asked.

Roy nodded his head in response before he looked up to see a young doctor of around thirty, short brown hair wearing a suit stop in front of him.

"Roy DeSoto?"

"That's right." Roy answered, shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Dr. Connors. Please come with me." Dr. Connors said politely before he turned and headed down the hall.

Roy looked at Cap for a second before he rose from his chair and followed Dr. Connors all the way to his office.

Shutting the door Dr. Connors motioned for Roy to take one of two chairs that were in front of a desk.

Slowly Roy sat down in one while Dr. Connors sank down in to his own chair.

"Well, I assume that Dr. Brackett told you that John Gage's condition was very serious." Dr. Connors said; opening a file and pulling out several x-ray's that Roy guessed were of Johnny.

"He said it was a brain tumor. Is it a teratoma?" Roy asked.

"A teratoma? Why do you suspect that it's a teratoma? They are very rare and hardly ever grow in the brain. In fact I myself have only heard of two such cases of a teratoma in the brain." Dr. Connors said.

"Johnny told me that when he was younger he had a teratoma in his brain. It took awhile but he was cured of it." Roy answered.

"Ahhh, I see. Well I'm afraid I won't know if it's a teratoma or not until we do surgery to remove it. But right now my main concern is the fluid that's building up around the tumor. If it remains unchecked it could burst the cavity wall." Dr. Connors stated.

"Is that what feels like water in his ears?" Roy asked.

"Yes, it also causes his ear and headaches." Dr. Connors answered; nodding his head a little.

"I am going to have to drain this fluid before I can operate on the tumor, so this evening I'm going to be inserting a shunt in to your friend's brain."

Roy took this information in stride for a moment before he asked, "When would you operate on his tumor?"

"Well if John survives these next few days and he gains strength quickly I could operate next week." Dr. Connors offered.

"And…then Johnny'd be cured?" Roy ventured.

He hoped against hope that Dr. Connors would say yes; that Johnny would be able to carry on after the surgery and return to work, however Dr. Connors face remained grim.

"Mr. DeSoto the tumor is in a very difficult position. It's in the mid brain," Dr. Connor began; holding up Johnny's x-rays as he pointed out the exact spot to Roy, "Now this area controls a lot of different functions; vision, speech, hearing, appetite control. Any or all of these functions could be affected by the surgery. It is possible that your friend could be paralyzed."

Roy's eyes grew as big as saucers when he heard that little tidbit of information.

Never in his life could he imagine or even think of his partner; his best friend having to live the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and to tell the truth that knowledge frightened Roy a lot.

"All of this is of course assuming John survives the operation at all."

"Johnny is going to survive, doctor. I know him well and I know that he's a fighter." Roy said confidently, hoping that his voice showed the confidence that he felt.

"Let's hope you're right." Dr. Connors replied; watching as Roy stood up from the chair.

Reaching out his hand, Dr. Connors shook Roy's hand before watching him leave his office.


	4. Shunt

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Four: Shunt

_Beep Beep Beep Beep_

The beeping of the heart monitor was loud in the operating theater as Dr. Connors slowly pulled out the stopper type device on the end of the newly installed shunt that was sticking out of Johnny's completely shaved head.

After the plug was out, clear liquid came spurting out the end of the shunt, directly in to a small pan that was perched on one of the tray's near Johnny's head.

"No wonder he had ear aches." The head nurse said, once she saw the amount of fluid that was building up in the pan.

"Another twenty four hours and he would have had no chance. Let's hope this lad is strong." Dr. Connors replied without looking up.

It took a grand total of forty minutes for the fluid to be drained, but after it was done the shunt was secured and Johnny's head bandaged before he was sent back to his room to rest and recuperate.

Meanwhile, Roy was filled in and was waiting for Johnny, staying with his partner for the rest of the night and in to the morning.

While he had been waiting, he had been reading up on brain tumors, teratoma's in particular.

One case he had read about was an eight year old boy named Craig Archer* who had a teratoma for close to a year. During his battle with the cancer, he was also trying to break the world record for the most get-well cards,** and he had ended up doing so, but apparently the child had collapsed and nearly died during the presentation of his plaque from the Guinness Book of World Records.

While he waited for Johnny to wake up, Roy softly told him all about it, having no idea that Johnny could actually hear him speaking.

After several hours, Johnny finally opened his eyes and looked at his partner.

"Nice story, where'd you hear about it?"

Roy looked down at Johnny and smiled to see him now awake.

"In a book that I picked up at the local library." He replied.

"Wow...Roy in a library...now that's scary." Johnny whispered.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Connor's entered the room and sat down in a chair on the other side of Johnny's bed, opposite from Roy.

"How are you feeling today, John?" Dr. Connors asked.

"About the same. Tired, slight headache...and it feels like I still have water in my ears." Johnny replied.

"Hmm..." Dr. Connors said as he reached in to his pocket and pulled out a pen light.

He turned it on and shined it in both of Johnny's eyes, checking the pupil reaction before he had Johnny follow the light with his eyes.

Satisfied with what he saw, he turned the light off and put it back in his pocket before he held up his index finger where Johnny could see it.

"Now, I'd like you to grab hold of my finger please." Dr. Connors requested, watching as Johnny hesitantly raised a hand, seemingly trying to guess where the doctor's hand was.

Making a guess he reached out and closed his hand around empty air, a good two feet from Dr. Connors finger.

"That's alright," Dr. Connors said, taking Johnny's hand and placing it around his finger, "Now, squeeze as hard as you can...really hard."

Dr. Connors waited and watched as he felt the slight squeezing on his index finger, and noted the muscles clenching on Johnny's face as he tried to really squeeze the doctor's index finger.

On the other side of the bed, Roy noticed the doctor's unhappy look but to his credit he didn't say anything as Dr. Connors patted Johnny's fist.

"Good." The doctor said with a smile as Johnny removed his fist and lowered his hand back down to the bed.

With a small nod of his head, Dr. Connors seemed to want Roy to follow him, so after a quick promise to be right back, Roy rose and followed Dr. Connors out of the room.

"I'm afraid that we are going to have to postpone the operation." Dr. Connors informed after the door closed behind them.

Roy was shocked and mortified at the news. He glanced at the closed door for a moment before looking back at the doctor.

"What about the tumor? I thought it was still growing!"

Dr. Connors nodded his head in confirmation at that, "Yes it is, but this is a long operation and at this point John couldn't survive."

"But...but...there must be something you can do...some medicine you can give him!" Roy insisted, sounding more like a concerned mother or friend than a paramedic.

"We are doing everything we can, Roy. Everything medically possible is being done for John. Now the rest has to come from John; determination, inspiration...whatever you want to call it. That has to come from him." Dr. Connors replied.

Roy knew that the doctor was correct, so he lowered his head before giving a slight nod.

"Thank you doctor." he muttered.

Dr. Connors nodded himself before turning and leaving Roy to his thoughts.

After Roy had left, Johnny had fallen asleep and begun to dream. In his dream he could see himself in another place and time, having to deal with his first brain tumor.

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Eight year old John Gage lay in a small, child sized bed at the small children's hospital on the reservation._

_His mother had arrived a moment ago, and she along with a nurse came over to his bed. _

_Reaching out a hand, Marian cupped her son's small face, being careful not to disturb the bandages that held the shunt in place._

"_How are you feeling today, darling?" She asked._

"_A little better, mom." Johnny lied, giving his mother a small smile._

_Marian smiled back, knowing that her son was lying, but she wasn't going to chastise him for it._

_Reaching down she picked up a box that she had brought with her, and inside the box were bunches and bunches of get-well cards from John's friends and teachers._

"_What say we hang these up?" Marian asked._

_John's face lighted up at the suggestion, so he nodded and replied, "Yeah!"_

_Marian gave a huge smile, and with the help of the nurse, cut some string, hung the cards on the string and then attached the string to the wall._

_On the bed to the left of John, a little girl was watching the proceedings, and after she saw the sunlight reflecting off of John's cards, she said, "I want my cards on the wall."_

_Several girls who were sitting on the bed next to the little girl's, all looked at her and then the cards on the wall before chiming in, "Me too, me too!"_

_Marian looked at her son with a smile then looked at the nurse and said, "Let's do it!"_

_After that the both of them helped the girls to hang their cards up on the wall, which took roughly thirty minutes._

_After she completed her task, Marian returned to her son's side, seeing him looking at all his cards._

"_I have eighty three cards." John said._

"_And each one is a prayer for you to get well." Marian replied, taking a seat next to her son._

_John just laid back in his bed and continued looking at the cards. His vision was still bad because he was still seeing things in ripples, but seeing the sun shining on his cards made the ripples seem not so bad._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

In the hospital room, a small smile crept on to John's face as he slept on, seeming not to have a care in the world.

Roy opened the hospital door and watched Johnny sleep for a moment or two before he closed the door and went to get something to eat.

*The boy's real name is Craig Shergold (at least according to the movie, "The Miracle of the Cards.")

** It is true, Craig Shergold did break the Guinness Book of World Records for the most get-well cards.


	5. Surgery

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Five: Surgery

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Dr. Middleton walked down the row of beds, seeing cards hanging on the wall to his left._

_Reaching John's bed he stopped and took a good look at all the cards._

"_Goodness me, look at all this." He said._

_John smiled kindly at the doctor before he replied, "I have two hundred and twelve."_

_Dr. Middleton grabbed John's chart and was studying it, "That's very impressive. You must have a lot of friends." The doctor had glanced up for a moment before looking back down at the chart._

"_I do! I have friends at church, friends at school, friends at soccer and my mom has her friends at work." John replied._

_Putting the chart back on it's hook, the doctor came over and sat down in the chair beside John._

"_You should be in the Guinness Book of World Records." Dr. Middleton suggested._

"_I bet the Guinness records a thousand...maybe two thousand!" John said, a little surprised at the doctor's suggestion._

"_Oh probably!" Dr. Middleton replied._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

A shuffling in the room caused Johnny to open his eyes and look around.

"Oh, I am sorry for waking you. How are you feeling today?"

Johnny saw that it was Dr. Connors who was there and sitting down next to his bed.

"A little better I guess." Johnny replied, noticing that the doctor had on a different suit.

"You certainly slept for a long time. Four days!" Dr. Connors said.

"Wha...I've been asleep for four days?!" Johnny asked, eyes going wide in complete amazement.

The doctor nodded his head before he said, "Your friend Roy and his wife have been here several times, in fact Roy refuses to leave. Your other friends have been here as well but they didn't want to wake you."

Dr. Connors waited for a moment before he held up his index finger where Johnny could see it.

Johnny paused for a minute before he reached out and grabbed the finger, holding on to it without squeezing.

Behind him, the door opened to admit Roy and Captain Stanley who both saw Johnny successfully grab the finger.

"Very good. Now squeeze!" Dr. Connors said.

John obliged and squeezed the finger for several seconds, hearing the doctor make a 'bone breaking' sound.

Releasing the finger, Johnny watched as Dr, Connors pretended to have a broken finger which he pushed back up.

Seeing this a small smile came to Johnny's face because Dr. Middleton had done the exact same thing all those years ago.

"That's very good, now catch!" Dr. Connors had taken a roll of gauze out of his pockets and gently tossed the roll to Johnny who actually caught it and tossed it back without a problem.

Seeing this, both Roy and Captain Stanley had smiles on their faces as they walked over and stood to John's right.

"That's very good." Dr. Connors muttered.

He pocketed the gauze and motioned for Roy and Captain Stanley to follow him outside, which they both did.

"He's definitely stronger. I wish we had more time but we don't, so I'll schedule the operation for Wednesday. Now, anything you can do to get his spirits up, you know give him the will to live...it could make a difference." Dr. Connors said.

Both Roy and Captain Stanley nodded their heads, watching Dr. Connors head down the hall and turn a corner.

"What do you think, Cap?" Roy asked.

"I think you should go ahead with it. If Johnny beat the odds once, he can do it again." Hank replied.

Roy smiled a little before re entering Johnny's room to find Johnny still awake and watching him.

"What'd the doctor say?" He asked.

Roy paused for a moment, giving himself time to slide in to a chair beside Johnny before replying, "The doctor's scheduling your surgery for Wednesday. Don't worry though, once the surgery's over you'll be fine."

Johnny nodded his head, though deep down he honestly didn't believe his partner.

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_The day of John's surgery quickly arrived, and before young John knew it he was being wheeled towards the operating theater by two orderlies; his parents right behind._

_As they passed through the double doors that blocked off the entrance to the operating theater, the __orderly directly in front of John's parents swiftly turned and blocked them from following as he shut the double doors._

"_There's a waiting area down the hall." The orderly said, however John began to panic when his parents were refused entry._

"_Mom! Mommy!" John called out._

_Hearing her son begging for her, Marian pushed past the orderly and through the double doors, not stopping until she reached John's side, quickly taking his hand._

"_The waiting area is down the hall!" The orderly said, trying to usher out Marian and her husband, however John seemed to be panicking even more, obviously wanting his parents to be in there with him._

"_No! I want you to come with me!" He begged._

_Before Marian could reply, the orderly said, "That's impossible."_

_Ignoring the orderly, Marian looked at John with love in her eyes. She continued to hold his hand as she leaned in and softly said, "I'd only been in the way darling. Can't have the doctor tripping over me, can we?"_

_She reached down and took hold of John's brown teddy bear that he was still clutching with his free hand._

"_Now you've got your little bear. He's all ready to go." Marian continued._

_John seemed to be calming down, but he still needed a little more reassurance so he looked towards his father._

"_Dad, can you come in?"_

"_Only doctors are allowed in the operating theater, son." John's father replied._

_The orderly seemed to be getting tired of the stalling so he said, "The doctor's waiting, we've got to go!"_

_He was about to continue pushing the gurney that John was on, but Marian grabbed his arm gently, stopping him._

"_My son will go when he is ready, and Doctor Middleton would be the first one to tell you that." She said._

_Looking back down at her son, Marian gently squeezed his hand before pointing at the closed door leading to the operating theater._

"_Dr. Middleton is just through that door. You like Dr. Middleton. Your dad and I are going to be right here." Marian said._

_To this, John's father nodded his head and patted his son's shoulder, "Every minute! If anyone needs us, we are right here." He said._

_John still didn't seem too sure but he was calm, knowing that his parents were going to be just outside __the operating theater._

"_Alright." John said._

_Marian smiled at her son, whispering the words 'I love you' in to his ear, to which John replied, "I love you too."_

_Standing aside Marian and her husband retreated back through the double doors as John was wheeled in to the operating theater and the big double doors of the theater closed behind him._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

John felt butterflies in his stomach as he was wheeled towards the operating theater; Roy and the rest of the guys from 51's A-Shift following behind.

The scene when he was a little boy kept playing through his mind, and hearing his mother's words to him still gave him some comfort today.

As he passed through the double doors that separated the operating theater from the rest of the hospital, he had to mentally stop himself from calling out to Roy, knowing that there was no way they could be in the room as well.

"Come on pal, let's take a seat. We've got a long time to wait." Captain Stanley said once the doors of the operating theater itself closed behind Johnny's gurney.

Roy nodded his head and followed the captain to a row of empty chairs, where the rest of the men had 'set up camp', while the doctors in the operating theater began the surgery on Johnny.

Hours and hours passed for the men of Station 51 and for the doctors. The men of Station 51 not knowing how things were going, and the doctor's still trying to reach the tumor.

Looking up from the scope that was positioned over the opening to Johnny's head, Dr. Connors said. "We are almost there."

As the last bit of the brain was pushed aside, Dr. Connors looked through the scope once more before he stopped and stayed in that position for several more seconds before glancing at a nurse who looked in her scope, seeing what the doctor was seeing.

"What on earth is that?" She asked, not recognizing the tumor.

"It's a teratoma. John's friend was right." Dr. Connors replied, still in a slight state of shock as he thought about the implications of this find.

The nurse looked at him before asking, "Is it evasive?"

Dr. Connors looked back down at the teratoma for a moment before responding, "I see no plane of separation between the tumor and the brain."

"Oh" The nurse said.

After a minute more the doctor called for suction.

"Let's get this bloody thing out." He said.

Three hours later Dr. Connors emerged from the operating theater looking both sweaty and exhausted.

He made his way over to the men of Station 51, who looked just about as tired as he was.

"How is he?" Roy asked, getting to his feet after seeing the doctor head their way.

"He's alive...that's the most important thing." Dr. Connors replied.

"But doc what does that mean? Is he going to be blind or paralyzed?" Chet asked.

"Is he going to be alright?" Mike echoed.

Dr. Connors looked at them all; sighing for a moment while he thought about what to tell them.

"Well, we'll know a lot more tomorrow. Tonight is still touch and go."

Roy dropped his shoulders, grateful for the information given, but wishing that they all knew more.

"Thank you doctor. You must be completely exhausted." He said.

"Hmm...excuse me." Dr. Connors softly said, almost in confirmation before he squeezed past the men and headed down the hall to rest.

Everyone else sighed before Chet and Marco both yawned.

"I guess we all should be heading home...Roy I figure you are staying?" Hank asked, receiving a shake from his senior paramedic.

"Well, I suppose we'll all be seeing you in three days, after shift change. G'night Roy." Hank said, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, G'night Roy." Chet, Mike and Marco echoed before they followed their Captain out of the hospital.

"G'night guys!" Roy called after them before he settled back down in his seat and bowed his head.

Slowly his eyes drooped and then closed; two minutes later Roy was fast asleep in the lobby of Saint Frances.


	6. Cancer

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Six: Cancer

When Roy woke up he found a blanket draped over him. He was still half way seated in the chair outside the operating theater, but after glancing out the window he saw that it was morning.

Jumping up, Roy raced to Johnny's room to find his friend just waking up from the surgery.

"Johnny! How are you feeling?" Roy asked, hoping that Johnny was better now.

Johnny sighed before he shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know yet...just woke up. I did have a weird dream though."

"What did you dream about?"

"I dreamed that...well...during the surgery, I floated up out of my body and I was up in the air looking down at it. I could see all of the doctors working...and then I went through a tunnel...at the end it was bright and my parents were there. It was bright and inviting, but I heard you and the guys calling my name, so I came back. Funny dream." Johnny said.

Roy was shocked and just a little worried because he had heard of stories where people had gone through a bright tunnel and had entered Heaven. To him it sounded that Johnny had been close to dying but because of some higher power, Johnny came back to them.

"That does sound like a weird dream. Hopefully it won't repeat itself." Roy said, giving Johnny a quick smile, to which Johnny reciprocated.

A nurse entered the room just then. She crossed over to Johnny's bed and took his vitals. After writing the new vitals down in his chart, she looked up at Roy.

"Dr. Connors would like to see you, sir." She said before turning and leaving the room.

Glancing at Johnny for a moment, Roy was about to speak before Johnny interrupted, "I know, I know...you'll be right back. Listen, don't worry about me. Go see Dr. Connors...but come back and tell me what he said."

Roy nodded his head and replied, "I will."

* * *

Roy entered Dr. Connors office just in time to see the man look up from a chart that was in his hands.

"Please, sit down."

Crossing over to a chair, Roy lowered himself in to it as he studied the doctor's face. Behind the doctor, two men turned around, their faces grim.

With a small start, Roy recognized both Dr's. Kel Brackett and Joe Early.

"It's bad news, isn't it?" Roy guessed, seeing the grim tone to the doctors features.

"Since Dr. Early and Dr. Brackett are John Gage's primary physicians I brought them in for a consultation." Dr. Connors said, first informing Roy as to why the two best known doctor's of Rampart General were in the office.

"Roy, Johnny's tumor is very unusual." Kel said.

"Yes, it is a teratoma like you and Mr. Gage suspected. It's actually a living thing. It has hair, nails and teeth." Dr. Connors finished.

The room was so silent after that, that anyone present could hear a pin drop.

Because he had no idea what a teratoma was, hearing the doctor's definition of what had been in Johnny's head was mind blowing!

"That thing was inside my friend's brain?" He asked.

"Yes." Dr. Early said.

"But...how in the world did it get there?" Roy asked.

He was anything but calm now, however he was doing his best to hold it together.

Roy's mind was working overtime, working through possible scenarios should Johnny have any reoccurring problems because of the surgery he had gone through.

"The tumors are usually congenital. They almost never grow in the brain, they normally grow in the abdomen. This is actually my first case of one in the brain, though I have read of only one other that grew in the brain." Dr. Connors said.

Shaking his head, Roy rose up and started pacing around the room, unsure of what to do, or even what to tell his friend and partner!

"Then...you've made a mistake!" He proclaimed.

In all honesty he himself didn't believe his proclamation, so he wasn't surprised when Dr. Connors shot that possibility down.

"No, I got a very good look at it. I did manage to remove about seventy five percent but I was afraid to go deeper. It's in an area that controls important functions, it would have been too dangerous.

Roy turned to face him then, practically yelling out, "What didn't you tell me this last night?"

Kel went over to Roy's side, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Roy, it would have seemed crazy last night, plus if Johnny hadn't of pulled through then honestly...you wouldn't have needed to know the specifics."

Roy ground his teeth together, all of the information being a lot to take in.

He glanced from Dr. Connors to Dr. Early and then finally to Dr. Brackett...all of whom were looking at him, wondering why he hadn't asked a very important question.

"Dr. Brackett, the teratoma...will it grow back?" Roy asked, finally popping the question on everyone's mind.

Kel glanced towards Dr. Connors, who looked down at his large oak desk crammed full of papers and other instruments, before he returned his gaze to Roy who was still waiting for an answer.

"Yes." Kel replied.

Roy paused for a minute, trying to digest that little tidbit before he asked, "Is it cancer?"

At that question, Dr. Early came around to stand beside Kel.

"Yes Roy, it's cancer. All of us are certain of it." He said.

Roy let out a groan, raising a hand to his face to dry the tears that threatened to come with that news.

He knew all about cancer...his own parents having died from lung cancer not that long ago.

"Roy, Dr. Connors would like to send Johnny to Rampart to undergo chemotherapy." Kel said, after giving Roy a minute of silence.

Hearing that, Roy reacted almost immediately, shaking his head vehemently.

"No! I lost both my parents to cancer and chemotherapy...I can't lose Johnny too!"

Kel and Joe looked at each other, neither of them knowing that Roy had lost his parents to something as tragic as cancer.

"Roy, every case is different. I'm sure the doctors did everything they could for your parents, but you need to do the same for Johnny. Chemotherapy could help him a lot." Kel said.

"You do know that chemotherapy can be very hard and that Johnny will be very sick. Quite frankly it's such a long shot that you might prefer not to put him through it at all." Dr. Connors said, presenting that option to Roy, giving him two options: to give Johnny chemo or not. To give him chemo.

"Whoa whoa whoa...you mean just let him die?! There is no way in hell that I'm going to let that happen to him! If it will help Johnny beat his cancer, then go ahead with the chemotherapy." Roy said, looking at all three doctors.

All of the doctors nodded their heads towards Roy, watching him leave the office to no doubt return to his friend's side, now armed with some disturbing knowledge.


	7. Chemotherapy

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Seven: Chemotherapy

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Eight year old John Gage was gently helped back in to bed by his mother. Gently she tucked him in before asking, "How's my boy?"_

"_Sick again, mom." John replied, sniffling a little as he tried to get comfortable. _

_Even though the hospital had allowed his parents to put his own bed sheets on the hospital bed, it did little to help, now that he was suffering through chemotherapy._

"_Well we knew that would happen, didn't we? We knew you'd be sick for a few days...then you would feel better..." Marian said, finally taking a seat on the edge of her son's bed._

_Looking down at John, Marian couldn't help but study his pale features. He looked pale, skin and bones and he had lost all of his hair._

"_Mom, I heard one of the nurses say that most of the kids in this ward have cancer...is that true?" John asked, not liking the way his mother was staring at him._

_Marian blinked and gave a small half smile before she looked down, not holding her son's gaze._

"_Yes." She replied._

"_I hope it's not catching, mom. I have had enough with this brain tumor." John replied, half jokingly and half serious._

_Marian's smile widened at her son's joke before she replied, "No it's not catching. And sometimes tumors are called cancer."_

_John was slightly shocked at that but he didn't saying anything other than, "Oh, alright."_

_Movement off to the side caught John's attention. He looked and recognized the young appeals director for the reservation hospital._

_John knew who he was because he saw the annoying hospital charity appeals every year on tv._

"_Mrs. Gage."_

_Marian turned around and found herself face to face with the appeals director that John had been watching._

"_Yes?" She asked._

"_I am Ryan McKee, the appeals director for this hospital." Ryan said, as he reached out and shook Marian's hand._

_Marian for her benefit, smiled as she shook Ryan's hand, though she was a little unsure as to why he was bugging them._

"_Oh, it is nice to meet you mister McKee." Marian replied, releasing his hand, but standing her ground, not wanting the appeals director to see that he was making her nervous._

"_I was wondering if I could get a photograph of your cards for the reservation newsletter." Ryan requested, looking at John directly._

_John knew very little about this newsletter because it hadn't been around that long, but he did know that everyone on the reservation received a copy for free, so if his picture did end up in the newsletter, then everyone would see it._

"_Um, sure...I guess." John said, grabbing his winter cap and placing it over his bald head while Marian handed him some cards to hold in both his hands._

"_Great! Wow, you do have a lot of cards." Ryan said, glancing at all of the hanging cards. He took out his camera and fiddled around with it as he tried to find the perfect shot._

"_On the count of three...one...two...three!"_

_The second Ryan said 'three', John smiled milliseconds before the flash went off; the picture taken._

_Handing the cards back to his mother, John looked back at Ryan who was now smiling also._

"_That was terrific. Thank you...thank you both very much." Ryan said, stuffing his camera back in to his bag._

_With that said, Ryan then left them alone._

_Sighing, John pushed himself up further in to the uncomfortable bed, still trying to relax._

"_It's not the Guinness Record but it's still pretty good, isn't it?" John asked, watching his mother put the cards away._

_Suddenly Marian's face seemed to light up as an idea formed in her mind._

_Slowly she smiled and said, "I'll be right back!"_

_Turning she chased off after Ryan, finally catching up to him just outside the children's ward. _

"_Mister McKee!" She called out._

_Hearing his name, Ryan turned back around, surprised to see Mrs. Gage standing there, a weird look to her face._

"_Do you know what the Guinness Record is for get-well cards?" Marian asked once she was standing right in front of him._

_Ryan sighed a little, nodding his head before he replied, "Actually, I do. It's one million two hundred and sixty five."_

_Hearing the answer, Marian's face dropped like a stone, the idea crushed._

"_A million cards...that's impossible we could never get that many." She muttered._

_Catching on to what Marian was suggesting, Ryan's face brightened considerably._

"_I think you could! You see the hospital is about to begin it's annual fund-raising drive. If we were to combine forces, Cards for John, Money for Greenwood, I think you could do it!"_

"_But...why would you want to do this?" Marian asked, wondering what Ryan wanted in return._

"_Well, I think it'll be good for Greenwood, and I have heard a lot about John and I saw how his face lit up for the camera! The people will love him!" Ryan replied._

_A genuine smile came across Marian's face as she abruptly hugged Ryan, calling him an angel for wanting to help them._

"_Hold on," Ryan said, pulling away after several seconds, "I want to make sure that you know exactly what you are getting yourself in to. It's going to be a staggering amount of work both for you and for John. Public appearance, radio, television interviews...!"_

"_Oh he'll love it!" Marian replied._

"_And we will need people to count and a place to count." Ryan continued._

_Marian smiled again and held up a hand._

"_You get the cards coming in and I will do the rest." She assured._

"_You do realize that you won't have any privacy at all. Wherever you go, people will know who you are." Ryan said._

_Marian paused for a few seconds, digesting that information before she looked back up at Ryan._

"_Which is why he will use an alias. Call him Craig Archer. Craig is his father's name, Archer was my father's name. But, Mr. McKee you can't change my mind about all of this...my son needs a dream and this is it! We are going to break that record!"_

_Ryan smiled and nodded his head, fully understanding why Marian would choose to use an alias for her son._

_He turned and headed back up the stairs to prepare things._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

Johnny yawned a little as Dixie helped him back in to bed at Rampart General. He had his fifth round of chemo and was no sick again...as usual.

"Thanks Dix." Johnny softly said as Dixie was tucking him back in to bed.

Dixie smiled a little, making sure the sheets were perfect.

"It's alright. I know how difficult chemo can be." She replied.

"It's been so long...I had almost forgotten the pain and sickness it causes." Johnny whispered as he tried to get comfortable.

Dixie stood up straight at that, looking down at Johnny.

"You have chemotherapy before?" She asked.

Johnny's eyes went wide, suddenly remembering that his mother had not wanted him to tell anyone about that, because it would be possible for conclusions to be drawn about his first battle with the teratoma tumor.

"Uh...yeah once before but it was so long ago." Johnny replied, giving Dixie a smile as if to say, 'don't worry about it.'

Johnny knew and understood why his mother had insisted on the alias for him when he had been eight years old. The Gage's did like their privacy, and if the newsletters thought that a different boy was sick and trying to break the record, then they would leave the Gage's alone.

Of course the people on the reservation who knew Johnny would know he would be using an alias, but Johnny had already known that they would keep his secret, and so far everything had worked...until today at Rampart when he had practically spilled his secret to Dixie...of all people!

Taking the hint, Dixie smiled before heading for the door.

"Roy should be here in a minute, and the guys should be on their way as well." She said.

"Ok, thanks Dixie." Johnny replied, watching her leave and the door close behind her.


	8. Card Counting

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Eight: Card Counting

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Eight year old John Gage, or as he was told,'Craig Archer' sat in a wheelchair in the reservation Conference Center. The building had been loaned to him and his parents for the whole card counting process...however long it would take._

_Over the past several days, John had been out of the hospital, only going in for chemo. Mainly he spent his days outside doing radio and television interviews, while camera men from all over, on and off the reservation came and snapped photos of him._

_Now of the tenth day, John was at the Conference Center, just waiting for the first day of Card Counting to begin._

_Cards had indeed been coming in; bags and bags and bags of cards were all around, just waiting to be counted._

_Ryan McKee came up on stage just then, tapping the live microphone to get everyone's attention._

"_Thank you all for coming. As you know we are all here to help Craig break the Guinness World Record." Ryan said, making sure to say Craig and not John, per his mother's request._

_However before Ryan could say anything else, a young man of about twenty five entered and went over to John, kneeling down and tapping him on the shoulder._

"_Hey shorty!" The man said._

_John looked at the man for a second before his face lit up with happiness._

"_Steve!" John replied, hugging the older man tight._

_Steve was John's older brother by ten years. Steve was already married and had a daughter, and was trying to start a career as a firefighter, which was why he was almost never around anymore._

"_Sorry I'm late shorty, had to study for my firefighter's exam." Steve explained before looking at Ryan._

"_I hate to tell you this bro', but you've missed so much. I don't think you'll ever catch up!" John joked._

_Ryan smiled as the brother's conversed for a few seconds, before he chose to interrupt them._

"_We were just getting started," he explained, "Now, the boxes are color coded. Blue for cards and green for money. Any questions?"_

_When there were no questions asked, Ryan nodded his head before saying, "Good...then let's get started."_

_Suddenly the room became a buzz of activity with cards being taken out of bags and being opened before being placed in the appropriate box._

_Weeks passed with every other day being a card counting day. Soon they had a staggering amount of cards collected; some two hundred thousand cards and more were pouring in every day._

_In one such television interview where John was literally sitting on a mountain formed of letters that were in bags, he was talking with a photographer named Reggie, whom he had become good friends with._

_While the two of them were chatting, Marian and Ryan were watching the proceedings closely._

"_Looking at him now, it's hard to believe tomorrow he'll need help sitting up." Marian said to Ryan._

"_Chemo is tough." Ryan admitted._

_Marian nodded before muttering, "Thank God he has the cards."_

_Two weeks after the interview, they were all back at the Conference Center continuing the card counting battle._

_Suddenly one man stood up, a card in hand._

"_This one's from Steve McQueen!" He said excitedly, receiving cheers and claps from those present._

_John, who was up on stage watching everybody, had a shocked look on his face, but that shocked look turned in to joy when Steve came running in._

"_Mom...mom I did it! I passed my firefighter's exam!" Steve proclaimed, hugging his mom tight._

_Marian smiled and said, "That is fantastic, I am so proud of you!"_

_She kissed her eldest on the cheek, leaving some lipstick on his cheek before letting him go and heading towards the microphone._

_While she walked away, Steve turned to John and their father Craig who was kneeling down beside John._

"_Did you get it?" John and his father asked._

_When Steve did nothing but smile, John and his father both hugged Steve, being very proud of him._

_Hearing a tapping on the microphone, Steve and everyone else focused on Marian, who had a smile on her face._

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an announcement." Marian said, building up the excitement._

_Steve's heart beat so loud because he was fully expecting his mother to break the news to everyone present._

"_We have now opened five hundred thousand cards! Craig is half way there and there is no end in sight!"_

_Steve's face and demeanor dropped like a stone. He couldn't believe his own mother would do that to him!_

_Turning, Steve ran out of the building, hearing his father chasing after him, fully understanding why he had run out._

"_Steve!" Craig called after his eldest, but Steve got in to his car and sped off. _

_Sighing, Craig got in to his car and went back home, staying there until ten pm when Marian walked through the door, a box of cards in her hands._

"_Man, what a night!" She said with an exhausted air about her._

_Craig who had been seated in a chair, his hands together, the tips of his index fingers on his lips, glanced up at his wife angrily._

"_How could you do that?" He asked as he rose to his feet._

"_Do what?"_

"_You know how hard Steve worked on those exams. You acted like it was nothing!" Craig said._

"_I told him I was proud of him." Marian replied, turning around to face her husband, seeing the angry look on his face._

"_And then you made an announcement about John!" Craig countered._

"_What? Do you think I should have made an announcement about Steve? Those people were there to open cards...to break the Guinness Record...they aren't interested in Steve." Marian replied._

"_Sometimes I wonder if you are! I wonder if you are interested in anything except those damn cards!" Craig said before he shook his head and left the room, leaving Marian to ponder what he had said._

_The next day Marian got up early and went to see Steve. Arriving at his house she went to the backyard to find him on the ground playing with his daughter Kylie._

_Seeing his mother approaching, Steve stood up to face her._

"_Mom...is John alright?" He asked_

"_Yeah," Marian replied with a nod of her head, "I came to see you. I know the past few months have been very hard for you, but John is a little boy...and he needs me. If this had happened to you when you were little I would have done exactly the same thing."_

_Steve sighed and looked towards his daughter for a moment before looking back at his mother._

"_You can't blame me." Marian said._

"_I'm not blaming you mom. I love John...we all love John, but I have a child to look after now and a new job! I was counting on you to help, and you can't...I can understand that. It's just...hard. It's very very hard."_

_Seeing the defeated look on her son's face, Marian stepped up and embraced Steve, holding him tight._

"_It's hard on all of us." She softly said._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

The days slowly passed for Johnny. Roy stayed by his side every minute, even after telling him what Dr. Connors had said. Johnny had taken the news with a grain of salt, but to Roy's amazement, he really didn't complain that much.

Hearing a tap on the door, Roy looked up as Dixie poked her head through.

"Roy, Dr. Connors is asking for you. He came over from Saint Frances an hour ago and is in Kel's office." She said.

"Thanks Dixie." Roy said.

He looked down at his sleeping partner, noticing the bags under Johnny's eyes. With the chemotherapy and the sickness afterwords, Johnny wasn't getting a lot of sleep so every time Roy found him asleep, he never woke him up.

Rising, Roy exited the room, making a beeline to Kel's office.

Once there he entered and shut the door behind him.

Inside the office Roy found Dr. Connors, Kel and Joe already there, each having a grim look on their faces.

"The myelography shows that the cancer has traveled to John's spine." Dr. Connors said, sounding very serious.

Roy was shocked, not expecting that news at all! He thought that the chemo would be enough, and that afterwords it would stop the cancer from spreading!

"That can't be right! He is responding to the treatment! He's only sick after the chemotherapy." Roy said.

"Roy, there's one definite tumor and three probable tumors. All located in the lower lumbar region." Kel said.

Roy was downright furious, not understanding why the chemo wasn't helping.

"So now what bright idea are you going to come up with, huh?!" He roared.

"We can try radio therapy, although I can't guarantee any results and the side affects would be very severe. John would lose his co ordination, his speech would slur and he would lose his appetite. He would have no rest and recovery periods like he does with chemotherapy. He would have radiation treatments every day." Dr. Connors said.

"Any alternatives?" Roy asked.

"Well...you could take him home. And, if you could afford it you could take him to the sea side or the country side if you wish. Make sure his last few months..." Dr. Connors began.

"Doctor, I don't want to hear that! Now, if you are sure that radiation will help get rid of the tumors, then I will agree to it, but I don't ever want to hear you say that you are just giving up on him!" Roy said.

"Roy, no one is giving up on Johnny, we just wanted you to know where things stand at the moment. You should go and explain this to Johnny, he should know what's going to happen. Tomorrow we are going to have to make a face mask for him, so the radiation will go in the right place." Kel said.

"Fine, doc. I'll tell him, but you talk with Dr. Connors...he is playing the part of a defeatist!" Roy said before he turned and left the office.

Kel sighed before he glanced at Dr. Connors.

"I never knew how much he really cares for John." Dr. Connors said.

"The two of them have been through a lot together." Dr. Early agreed.

"Well, once the mask is completed I'll make preparations for John to be transferred back to Saint Frances to undergo the radiation treatment." Dr. Connors said, before he left the office as well.


	9. Dying

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Nine: Dying

Johnny quietly listened to what Roy had to say. He never interrupted his friend, but deep in his mind Johnny realized that what was happening to him now was exactly what had happened to him all those years ago...even down to the chemotherapy and now the decision to start the radiation treatments.

"I know I should of asked you first but, I told Dr. Connors to go ahead with the radiation." Roy said.

Johnny nodded his head, looking at Roy with tired eyes.

"I understand. If I was there, I would have said yes anyway." He said.

Groaning, Johnny pushed himself up in to a sitting position before grabbing his glass of water.

"When do they want to start?" He asked before taking a sip.

"Well, from what I gather, Dr. Brackett wants to create some sort of face mask for you tomorrow, and I guess once the mask is done, they'll start the treatments." Roy replied.

Nodding his head, Johnny put the glass back down before he looked out the open window of his room.

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Craig Gage and his wife Marian got out of their car and headed for the Conference Center for yet another day of counting. _

_The side door of the center opened to allow Ryan to walk out, looking dejected and depressed._

_Seeing Marian and Craig, he said, "Marian."_

_Marian turned to face him. She also looked a little depressed, so Ryan thought she already had heard the bad news._

"_Ahh. I see you've heard about Guinness." He said._

"_What about Guinness?" Marian asked._

_Ryan looked from Craig to Marian before continuing._

"_Well, they called this afternoon. They won't accept a new card record. Apparently the last people to try this had a nervous breakdown."_

"_What?! I am not them am I?! I am not going to have a nervous breakdown! I am going to break that freaking record!" Marian insisted, folding her arms in defiance._

"_Well even if we do, they won't recognize it." Ryan said._

_Craig sighed before he reached out and took his wife's hand; looking her in the eye._

"_Maybe it's for the best honey. John should be in bed, not traipsing around all over town. Let me see if I can get an advance on my salary, we can take him down to the Lighthouse and..."_

_Marian had been listening until Craig had started to speak of just letting John die. Turning she marched right in to the Conference Center and right up to the podium._

_Grabbing the microphone, she looked at everyone present._

"_Guinness has just informed us that they won't accept a new card record!" Marian declared._

_John who was still on the podium at the main card counting table, looked up at his mother questioningly._

"_What? They can't do that!" He said._

"_They said that if we continue on like this we are all going to have nervous breakdowns!" Marian continued._

_The people there started booing and shaking their heads in disbelief, all completely and utterly angry at Guinness._

"_Well, they are wrong and I intend to prove it! This is a public book about the public...responsible to the public, and I am the public...we are the public! I will not let them tell me what I can and can't do! I am not giving up when I am half way there. I am going to smash their record and set a new one! Are you with me?!" Marian roared in to the microphone._

"_Yeah!" The crowd roared in reply._

"_Are we going on?" Marian roared._

"_Yeah!" The crowd roared even louder, drowning out the feedback as Marian put the microphone back._

_By that time Craig had entered the Center and had heard everything his wife had said. Going up to her he took her arm and led her outside. On his way out he saw John following as well, so Craig just pointed at his son, causing him to stop and return to the table._

_Once outside, Craig handed Marian her purse, which she took and hung on her shoulder._

"_What the heck do you think you are doing, Marian? There is no point because John can't get the record!" Craig said._

"_He needs this!" Marian insisted, following her husband away from the Center._

"_What...this circus?!" Craig said, gesturing towards the building, "It's not even about John anymore, it's about you! Did you hear yourself in there?! I am the public? I am half-way there? Do you seriously think that if you keep yourself busy that you can't see what's happening to our son?! What we are doing to him?! Do you love the spotlight so much that you don't care what happens to John anymore?! Honey, you have got to face the fact that John is dying! He needs rest not publicity."_

"_He needs a dream, honey. Dr. Middleton said..." Marian began, but Craig interrupted by saying, "Dr. Middleton has given up!"_

"_Craig, Dr. Middleton doesn't know John like I do. John is a fighter...he can beat this thing, but not if you put him in a bed and tell him he's dying! John believes what we tell him, and thousands of people all over the world are telling him to get better! John knows those cards are prayers and I know that they are keeping him alive while he heals! I am not going to let Guinness or anyone else take that away!" Marian proclaimed._

_She eyed her husband for a few more seconds before marching back in to the Conference Center._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

Morning came quickly for John. Before he really had a chance to wake up, he found himself seated in a chair, having Dr. Brackett peeling this brown, rubbery thing off of his head and face.

"What's going to happen now?" Johnny asked, just glad to be breathing fresh air again and not having to smell the brown mold that had been on his face.

"Well Johnny, we are going to make a plastic face mask from this and put a little box in it so the radiation goes in exactly the right place." Kel replied.

"I'm telling you doc, it better after all of this work!" Johnny joked, causing both Roy and Kel to start laughing.


	10. Victory and Defeat

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Ten: Victory and Defeat

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Marian sat with John and Steve at the main card counting table on the podium. Two days ago she and Ryan had visited with a member of the Guinness council, trying to convince them to reverse their ruling, but it was like talking to a brick wall._

_Now forty eight hours later, Marian was wondering if it had made any difference what so ever._

_She remembered going on the air and informing the whole world of Guinness' decision, and hoping that somehow that would cause Guinness to change their minds, but so far no word had been made._

_Marian looked at her son as he opened yet another card; picturing in her mind the events of yesterday._

_Wheeling him in to the radiation room, listening to him refusing to take the pills that were to help him relax..._

_She couldn't help but feel sorry for her son, having to go through all of this pain and not being able to take it away. Isn't that what mother's did? Take the pain away from their children?_

_Marian recalled her visit to Dr. Middleton's office just this morning..._

_The doctor had entered his office, chart in hand and a smile on his face._

"_It looks like we made the right decision about the radiology, the tumors along the spine have cleared!" He said._

_Marian had been ecstatic, hugging the doctor tightly as she said, "That's wonderful!"_

"_Careful now, let's not get too excited. The tumor on the brain still remains unchanged." Dr. Middleton reminded._

"_But unchanged means not growing!" Marian pointed out; the smile still on her face._

_Marian snapped back to the present when her son Steve stood up, a card in hand._

"_Sean Connery!" He exclaimed, showing the card._

_Meanwhile, photographers were snapping pictures left and right because it was rumored that today would be the day that the old record would be broken._

_Ryan, who was off to the side was watching the doors leading to the outside. When they opened to admit too gentlemen in black and white suits, Ryan stepped up to the microphone, gesturing for John to be wheeled up._

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the moment we have been waiting for," Ryan began as John was wheeled up closer to the mic._

"_Craig Archer has smashed the Guinness record of one million two hundred and sixty five cards."_

_Ryan paused for a moment, allowing John a moment to smile happily while his parents and everyone else clapped ecstatically._

"_The new record is one million sixteen thousand two hundred and forty cards and there is no end in sight! To celebrate this record setting moment, we have a surprise for Craig."_

_Ryan stepped aside, gesturing for the gentlemen in black and white suits to step forward. The taller of the two took the plaque from his colleague and stepped up to the microphone._

"_On behalf of the Guinness Book of World Records, we present this certificate to Craig Archer." The man said._

_He turned and then handed John the plaque before stepping back while the photographers quickly took snapshots._

_Marian for her part was completely stunned while Ryan explained that they had called an hour ago and he had wanted it to be a surprise._

_Hearing the crowds calling for a speech, John weakly rose to his feet and went over to the microphone._

_He kept the plaque in plain view of the photographers and everyone else while his tired mind struggled to form words._

"_Thank you...thank you everybody..." John began._

_He suddenly began to feel very dizzy, so he blinked to try and stay awake._

_Behind him his mother and father could tell that he was having a hard time, but they were a little unsure as to why._

_Not wanting to disappoint the crowds, John tried to push onward and finish his speech._

"_Everybody who..." John muttered before he simply collapsed, dropping next to the broken plaque that was now on the ground._

_Shouts of "Craig!" and "Get the car, get the car!" filled the room as Ryan scooped up John's unconscious form and ran outside, following Craig Gage's running form._

_Craig jumped in his car and fired it up while Marian hopped in the back seat, taking John's still unconscious form from Ryan's arms._

_Closing the door, Ryan watched as the Gage's quickly headed for the hospital to find out what had happened._

_Once at the hospital, John was quickly taken back while Marian and her husband waited in the lobby._

_Scenario after scenario ran through Marian's mind. She had a feeling that her son wasn't going to make it...that he had already died and she was just waiting for Dr. Middleton to confirm it._

_After several hours of pacing, Marian fell asleep, her head in Craig's lap._

_At the stroke of ten pm, the door to the lobby opened and Dr. Middleton exited and crossed over to them._

_Seeing the doctor, Craig woke up Marian, who sat up and rubbed the sleepers from her eyes while the doctor took a seat across from them._

"_There's no easy way to say this..." Dr. Middleton said._

_Fearing the worst, Marian said, "He's not..."_

"_No, no...but the tumor's on the move again. It's just a matter of time...."_

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

Roy couldn't understand Johnny's cancer at all. He was getting so much better after the chemo and radiation treatments, and now two weeks after he started the radiation treatments he slipped in to a coma!

Dr. Connors had been confused until he had taken another scan of Johnny's tumor, finally coming to the conclusion that the tumor was growing again.

Closing his eyes, Roy recalled the conversation with the doctor...

"I am terribly sorry Roy. There really is no easy way to say this but John's tumor is on the move again. Honestly it is only a matter of time now." Dr. Connors had said.

Roy had licked his lips to wet them, his mind trying to find it's way around this newest revelation.

"How much time does he have?" Roy had asked.

Dr. Connors had looked down at the ground for a moment, softly replying, "Two to three weeks...possibly four."

"But...couldn't you operate again?" Roy had asked.

Dr. Connors had shaken his head in response, seeming to seal Johnny's fate, "No, he's far too weak. But you have to remember that it's the quality of life that counts and you've given Johnny..."

"Damn the quality of life, doctor Connors! Johnny is the best friend I have ever had...I want him alive!"

"Roy, we have done everything we can now. John will seem to get better once we have stopped the radiation. His speech will clear and his co ordination will improve but really...it's just a matter of time. Why don't you take him home?" Dr. Connors had replied.

Roy was silent for several minutes, not wanting to admit defeat, but really it seemed that there was nothing more that could be done to help Johnny.

"Will he be in pain?" Roy had asked.

"When the time comes we can give him morphine. I'm sorry...I'm really sorry." Dr. Connors had said.

A hand on Roy's shoulder brought him back to the present. There stood his wife Joanne with a sad look to her face.

Rising, Roy embraced her, practically burying his face in her shoulder as he finally let the tears come.

Normally it was the other way around, he would comfort her when she was down, but now he was glad that she was here to comfort him.

Dr. Connors had called her and explained the situation, so Joanne had come down to the hospital to support her husband, already knowing that Johnny would be spending his final days at their home and not his apartment.

"Come on honey, let's take Johnny home." Joanne said after several minutes.

Raising his head, Roy wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded his head.

While Roy had been deep in thought, thinking of his conversation with Dr. Connors, Johnny had remarkably come out of his coma though he was still drowsy.

So, while Joanne was signing the papers to get Johnny released, Roy had helped to dress his partner and get him in a wheelchair.

Wheeling Johnny out of the room, Roy met up with Joanne and together the three of them left the hospital for what Roy thought would be the last time.


	11. Revelations

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Eleven: Revelations

Two days had passed since Roy and Joanne had brought Johnny back to their house. In that span of time, Hank, Mike, Marco and Chet had stopped by, already having been informed of what the doctor had said.

All of them were shocked and dismayed that there was nothing left to be done, and each vowed to be there for Johnny should he need anything.

Hearing a tap on his bedroom door, Johnny opened his eyes and watched Roy...his best friend and partner enter the room, slowly crossing over to him with a piece of mail in his hands.

"Johnny I uh...I wanted to show you something. I received this letter in the mail today...it's from a doctor in Virginia. His name is Neal Kassell. He says he would like to see you if you were wanting to travel to Virginia." Roy said, handing Johnny the letter.

Johnny read through the letter and once he was done he realized why Dr. Kassell's name sounded so familiar. He was the doctor who had operated and cured his teratoma the last time. If Dr. Kassell could do it once...he could possibly do it again, right?

"I know what everyone is thinking Roy, but I tell you, I don't want to die. If there is a chance that Dr. Kassell can help, then I'm willing to give it a shot." Johnny replied with a small smile.

Relief swept through Roy's body when Johnny gave the go ahead.

"Great! Everything's been taken care of already, so we won't have to worry about anything. The plane leaves tomorrow morning, so you better get some rest." Roy said.

_'Rest...that's just what my mother said...'_ John thought to himself.

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

"_Honey, you better get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow." Marian said to her son._

_She, Craig and John were on a plane bound for Virginia, in the hopes that a young doctor named Neal Kassell could somehow save John's life._

_Marian had received a letter from Dr. Kassell's office, requesting to see the boy at the earliest convenience possible. At first Marian had been shocked, then she burst in to tears of joy at this new found hope._

_Craig took some convincing because he at first wasn't willing to put John through any more torment, but after learning that the family wouldn't have to pay for anything because some billionaire named Evans was paying for everything, and after seeing John's excited face, he finally relented and now they were all bound for Virginia._

_After landing the family was met at the airport by an ambulance which took them to the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia._

_The family was given several hours to settle in to their new accommodations before being taken to meet Dr. Kassell._

_Entering the doctor's office, Marian and Craig had a seat in the two chairs, while John who was in a wheelchair, sat beside the both of them._

"_Did you have a good trip?" Dr. Kassell asked as he settled down in to his chair and placed his feet on his desk._

"_Yes, thanks." Craig said, receiving a nod from the doctor._

_John smiled as he glanced at his mother, "Mom was scared on the plane."_

_Hearing that, Dr. Kassell chuckled before asking, "And what about you?"_

"_Na, they are built to fly, aren't they?" John replied._

_Dr. Kassell nodded his head once more in agreement with what John said._

"_Indeed they are, young man. Well, as I said in the letter we have developed a new treatment for brain tumors, it's called the Gamma Knife."_

"_Um, what exactly does that do?" Craig asked, a little intimidated by the title._

"_It fires high energy radiation beams directly into the brain. With some tumors, the Gamma Knife can hit the tumor today and the patient can walk out tomorrow, with no need for further radiation treatments." Dr. Kassell replied._

"_And...you think you could do this for Craig?" Marian asked, making sure to use her son's alias instead of his real name, since Dr. Kassell didn't know that her husband's name was Craig._

"_I certainly hope so. First we'll have to run a series of tests. You will be familiar with most of them. Eye and co ordination tests, brain scans and I need to run an arteriogram because I want to find out if the tumor is feeding off of a blood vessel. If it is we can cut off the blood supply, reduce the size of the tumor so we can use the Gamma Knife." Dr. Kassell said._

"_And if it isn't?" Marian asked._

"_Well we'll worry about that when we get the results of the tests. Do you have any questions?" Dr. Kassell asked._

_John paused, almost as if he were thinking about weather or not he should ask the question or not. _

"_Do you know that you aren't wearing socks?"_

_Dr. Kassell smiled a little before he replied, "I never wear socks."_

_John smiled back at the doctor before shaking his hand, which more or less ended the meeting._

_Marian and Craig took John back to his room and stayed with him all night, just to make sure he was alright._

_The next morning the tests began. First was an eye exam which Dr. Kassell personally preformed._

_Then came the brain scans and finally the ateriogram._

_Once the tests were completed, John was taken back to his room to rest and recuperate._

_Three hours later the results came in. Instead of calling Marian and the boy to his office, Dr. Kassell went to their room to see them._

"_The tumor is not feeding off of a blood vessel and it's far too large to use the Gamma Knife. It's about five centimeters in diameter and the Gamma Knife is only really affective for tumors up to three centimeters. I wish I had seen him sooners." Dr. Kassell said once he had entered the room._

"_There must be something you can do! You can't just let him die!"Marian begged._

"_I suppose I could operate. If we can reduce the size of the tumor then perhaps we'd be able to use the Gamma Knife later on. But the risks would be..." Dr. Kassell paused._

"_The risks would be what?" Marian asked._

"_Well I'd say there's about a twenty percent chance that he'd die on the operating table. And, if he didn't die the operation could leave him blind, or deaf, or in a coma." Dr. Kassell said._

"_But if it's a success then he'd be cured? Marian asked, studying the doctor's face carefully._

"_I wish I could offer you that hope, but I'm afraid I can't. Realistically I'm afraid the most we can offer him is another six to nine months."_

"_Is there any alternative?" Marian asked._

_Dr. Kassell shook his head, "No."_

_Sighing, Marian lowered her head while Craig shook his head in disbelief, not wanting to put his son through any more._

"_Then we have to do it." Marian said._

_Craig looked at his wife as if she had grown two heads. "Marian we can't..." he began, but Marian interrupted him by saying, "When would you want to do it, doctor?"_

_Dr. Kassell looked from Marian to Craig and back. He could tell that Marian was willing, but Craig wasn't, and honestly the doctor didn't blame Craig one bit for being hesitant._

"_Well if you decide that you want this procedure then we should do it immediately...tomorrow morning. But I want you to think about it very carefully. Read the consent forms. Think about it...talk about it. Is this a risk that you really want to take?" The doctor said._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

With Roy's help Johnny managed to get in to his wheelchair before allowing himself to be pushed down the hall towards Dr. Kassell's office. The flight to Virginia had been a long one and he had only been given that night to rest up from the flight.

"Nervous?" Roy asked as he pushed his partner along.

"No, not really. I'm just tired of it all, that's all." Johnny explained, glancing up at Roy for a moment.

Roy smirked a little, understanding where Johnny was coming from one hundred percent.

The two of them entered a large office with windows looking out on to a big garden. Bookshelves crammed full of books lined the walls and a big, oak desk was in the center of the room. One comfortable looking chair was on the far side of the desk, and two cushioned chairs were on the other side.

Near the bookshelves, a middle aged man stood, a book in hand. Hearing someone enter his office, Dr. Kassell closed the book he had been looking at and turned around.

He didn't recognize the man pushing the wheelchair, but the man in the wheelchair brought back memories to the doctor.

Gesturing to the chairs, Dr. Kassell waited until Johnny was secured and Roy was seated before he sat down in his own chair.

"I don't believe it...Craig Archer! It's been a long time, son!" Dr. Kassell said, not knowing that Johnny had never told anyone his secret.

Roy looked at the doctor, quite confused at his words.

"Uh, doctor Kassell, this is John Gage, not Craig Archer." Roy said, pointing at Johnny.

The doctor however shook his head, "Nope he is Craig Archer, I remember all of my former patients."

Roy looked at Johnny then, hoping that Johnny would tell the doctor that he was wrong, but Johnny was just looking down at the ground.

"Johnny, what's he talking about?" Roy asked.

Sighing, Johnny looked up, first at Roy and then at the doctor.

"Dr. Kassell...my real name is Johnny Gage, though I did go by the name Craig Archer," Johnny looked at Roy, seeing his friend shake his head in disbelief.

"When I was eight years old I developed a teratoma in my brain. My parents put me through several surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation to try and get rid of it. During that time, yes I was working towards breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for the most get-well cards, and yes I did succeed. But the tumor was still on the move, so my parents brought me to Dr. Kassell the first time...he saved me, Roy. You have to understand, my parents gave me an alias so that I could at least have some privacy. They thought that if anyone knew who I really was, I would be a celebrity my whole life and I didn't want that." Johnny said.

"But why didn't you tell me Johnny? I would of kept your secret!" Roy said, still not fully believing Johnny.

"Because, on my parents death bed they begged me never to tell anyone, and I haven't...until now." Johnny replied.

"I apologize John, I didn't know either. However I gather that you have had a relapse of sorts." Dr. Kassell said, drawing Roy and Johnny's attention back to him.

"Yes, it's exactly the same, down the size and speed." Johnny replied with a small shrug.

"Well as before, before we can even think of attacking it, I will need to run some tests tomorrow. You will be familiar with the tests, the eye and co ordination tests and the brain scans and the arteriogram." Dr. Kassell said.

"Yeah...can't say I missed them." Johnny said with a sigh.

He had a feeling that, as before the tumor wouldn't be feeding off of a blood vessel so the doctor would end up having to operate, and truthfully the doctor felt the same way, though he had to make sure.

"Well then, I will see you tomorrow, John." Dr. Kassell said, reaching out and shaking both Roy and Johnny's hands.

The meeting now over, Roy took Johnny back to his room to rest.


	12. Cured

**Childhood Disease**

Chapter Twelve: Cured

_//\\FLASHBACK//\\_

_Craig and Marian returned to their son's room. Together they stood there, watching John sleep._

_There were IV tubes going every which way across John's small frame, while the bed almost seemed to engulf him._

_After ten minutes, Craig shook his head before turning away._

"_I can't do it Marian. I can't let another doctor hack in to our son. I mean just look at him! His body is full of tubes. We've let doctors cut in to him and burn his insides with chemicals and for what? … for nothing!"_

_Marian swallowed, trying to keep her emotions at bay while she glanced at Craig._

"_I know this operation can save him." She said._

"_That is exactly what you told me about the last one! Dr. Middleton was going to save him!" Craig shot back._

"_And he did honey! John would have died without that operation! " Marian replied._

_John started to pace slightly, still not wanting to let John be put through any more suffering._

"_The chemotherapy and the radiation...and the Gamma Knife...honey...you yourself heard what Dr. Kassell said. The most he can offer John is nine more months of pain."_

_Marian shook her head. She didn't know how to explain this to Craig, but she knew that this operation could cure him, she just knew it!_

"_Look, I have listened to the doctors when John first had his earaches...they said it was nothing and you said to listen to them! Well I am not listening to the doctors anymore...I am listening to me now! Honey, are you so sure that God can't save our son, that you won't even give Him a chance?" Marian asked._

_Craig looked at his wife, seeing something in her eyes that told him that everything was going to be alright._

_Sighing, he gestured towards John and said, "Let's see what he has to say."_

_Together the two of them went over to John's side and gently woke him up._

"_There is something we need to talk about, honey. Right now your tumor is too big for the Gamma Knife. If Dr. Kassell operates, he might be able to cut it down and use the Gamma Knife later, but he can't promise anything." Marian said._

"_Doctors never promise." John said, trying to be funny and yet serious at the same time, which caused Marian to smile._

"_The operation is very dangerous and well...there's a possibility that you could die." Marian continued._

_John thought about that fact for a moment or two before he gave a sideways grin towards his parents._

"_I won't die, I promise." He said._

"_You could end up in a coma, son. Do you know what that is?" Craig asked._

_He reached out and took his son's hand while he saw John watch his hand for several seconds._

"_Yes dad, I have seen one before, and before you ask...if that were to happen to me, I could never blame you or mom...I would blame the cancer."_

"_Remember the last operation...how much pain you were in...do you really want to go through that again?" Craig asked._

"_No pain, no gain." John replied._

_He pushed himself up a little, trying to get comfortable in the big hospital bed while his parents glanced at one another._

_Looking back at her son once more, Marian took a deep breath before saying, "It's up to you darling. Do you want the operation?"_

_John nodded his head and said, "Yes, I like the doctor. Is it soon?"_

"_Dr. Kassell wants to do it tomorrow." Craig replied._

_Clearing his throat, John took hold of his mother's hand, looking deep into her eyes before he asked her a favor._

"_Mom, could dad sleep with me tonight? I do love you very much mom, but you worry. I know you will be touching me all night, asking me if I'm okay...and I need my sleep."_

_Marian and Craig both smiled at that remark, knowing how true it was._

"_Of course darling. I will go tell doctor Kassell." She replied._

_Rising she kissed John and Craig before leaving the room._

_//\\END FLASHBACK//\\_

Hearing a knock on the door, John opened his eyes to see Dr. Kassell standing there, just inside his room.

Just two hours ago the test results had come back, and as suspected the results were basically the same.

Before Roy or the doctor could ask, Johnny had agreed to the operation, and now the doctor had just stopped by to give him some more information about the procedure.

"As before, I will cut through the top of your head and not the back." Neal Kassell began.

Johnny smiled, remembering what Dr. Kassell had said from last time, "It's more difficult but it gives you a better angle...is that about right, doc?"

Dr. Kassell chuckled, surprised that John remembered that.

"Yep, that's right. Are you about ready to go? I know the orderlies are on their way up." Dr. Kassell said.

John sighed before he nodded his head.

He was nervous...of course who wouldn't be in his position, but he felt that he was now as ready as he would ever be.

"Let's do this, doc." Johnny replied.

Just then the door opened to admit two orderlies, who after receiving a nod from the doctor, wheeled Johnny's bed out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later Johnny was prepped and ready as was Dr. Kassell and the nurses around him.

"Okay let's get started..." Dr. Kassell began.

On the edges of the room, cameras came on, now beginning to record everything that was being done and said.

"The patient is prepped, this is doctor Neal Kassell of the University of Virginia. The patient is a thirty year old male, his name is John Gage. John has a malignant tumor in the pineal region. He's undergone previous surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Our goal is to debulk the tumor so that we can use the Gamma Knife and prolong his life. Okay, let's go."

Dr. Kassell nodded to a nurse who handed him some instruments as the operation began.

It took two hours to make their way through the brain, until they finally reached the tumor, and when they did they found something odd...

"As we approach the tumor we are seeing a great deal of scar tissue. The result of previous surgery and radiation...that's interesting! Hmm...I am retracting the tissue...we are seeing something white, shiny...about five centimeters in diameter. May I please have the scalpel and the forecips? Thank you." Dr. Kassell said.

He looked up just enough to take the requested instruments from a nurse before looking back through his scope at the thing he was seeing.

Slowly he tried to cut the shiny thing that he was seeing, only to find out that it didn't cut!

"Hmm, doesn't cut." A male nurse said as he watched what Dr. Kassell was doing.

"Look at the plane of separation! Hmm...looks like we are going to have to chip it away." Dr. Kassell said before he proceeded to start chipping the shiny object.

After another hour and a half he had gotten most out and was still trying to get more.

"You got enough." The male nurse said, not wanting to endanger John's life further.

"I can get more." Dr. Kassell insisted, ignoring the "It's too dangerous," comeback from the nurse.

All of a sudden a spurt of blood came up and smacked in to the male nurse's mask, causing him to curse.

"Suction! We have to find the site of hemorrhage." Dr. Kassell insisted calmly.

"We are losing a lot of blood!" The male nurse said.

"We aren't going to lose him," Dr. Kassell replied.

They all worked as a team, finally locating the site of hemorrhage. Quickly they stopped the bleeding and repaired the damage before Dr. Kassell finally ended the operation.

Sewing John's head back up, Dr. Kassell had John taken to recovery while a small portion of the shiny substance was sent to have a biopsy done, which took thirty minutes.

After that thirty minutes, John was taken back to his room while a nurse came and found Roy who was waiting in the lobby.

"Will you follow me please?" The nurse requested.

Rising, Roy immediately caught up with her; asking her question after question about John...none of which she could truthfully answer.

She quickly led him back to John's room before staying only long enough to see Roy go over to John's side and sit down.

Reaching out a hand, Roy brushed Johnny's hand, quite surprised to find it warm!

Feeling the touch, Johnny opened his eyes before glancing at Roy; a smile coming to his face.

"Hey partner...I told you I wouldn't die." He muttered softly.

Roy broke out in to a huge grin before he nodded his head.

"That you did, Junior. That you did."

Hearing footsteps approaching the room, Roy bit back the question he was going to ask, when he saw Dr. Kassell enter the room, a smile on his face as well.

"Mr. De Soto, I need a promise from you. No matter how good he feels, for the next six months, keep John away from any fire stations." Dr. Kassell said.

"You...you mean he's cured?" Roy asked, hardly daring to believe it. After all this time...could this really be the end?

"Yes. We chipped away over ninety percent of the tumor and I don't believe the rest will be a problem." Dr. Kassell said happily, almost as if putting the final nail in a coffin of John's dark past.

"But...it's not malignant?" Roy asked, remembering what Dr. Connors and said.

Dr. Kassell shook his head before replying, "No. We suspected as much when we discovered that it was made of a pearl like substance and the biopsy confirmed it."

Roy sighed in confusion. How could a teratoma become a pearl?

"Thank you Dr. Kassell...that's two I owe you now." Johnny said softly, getting a soft smile from the doctor.

"You just take care of yourself John. I'll see you later." Dr. Kassell replied.

Turning, the doctor left the room, giving Roy time alone with his partner and best friend.

"I can't believe it...it's finally over! I am so proud of you John...you beat the odds again!" Roy said.

Johnny smiled at the knowledge that it was now done and he was free, but at the end of the proverbial day, he was just plain tired.

"I am going to get some rest now, partner." He muttered; shutting his eyes tightly.

"Alright Junior, you get some rest and don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up." Roy replied before he sat back in his chair and watched his partner sleep.


	13. Epilogue

**Childhood Disease**

Epilogue

Eight months to the day when he was first taken to the hospital, John Gage found himself looking at a very familiar sight.

He was sitting in his Rover, inside the Station 51 parking lot.

From the vehicles present, Johnny saw that everyone was already there, and guessing from the time, he surmised that they all hadn't been there that long.

Exiting his vehicle, Johnny took a deep breath before heading inside.

Entering the building, he rounded a corner and entered the dayroom; completely jumping out of his skin with fright when he heard clapping coming from behind him.

Turning around, Johnny came face to face with Cap, Mike, Marco, Chet and Roy, and behind them was a good sized banner that said in big black letters, 'Welcome Back Johnny'.

A big smile came to Johnny's face as he reached out and shook everyone's hands.

"Welcome back Johnny." Captain Stanley said, clapping his youngest paramedic on the shoulder.

John nodded his head at Cap before replying, "Thanks Cap."

"So Johnny, how are you feeling?" Chet asked, butting in to the conversation before anyone else could.

Johnny sighed as he thought about the question.

He had regained the weight he had lost and his skin no longer looked deathly pale. The only thing that was changed about him was his hair.

His thick, brown hair hadn't had a chance to grow back yet, so it looked like someone had gotten friendly with a razor.

"Well Chet...all things considered...I think I'm doing well." Johnny replied with a smile.

"Hey John, go ahead and get changed in to your uniform. We'll wait to do Roll Call until your ready." Cap said, watching as Johnny nodded and headed in to the Locker Room.

The men of Station 51 walked in to the Vehicle Bay and stood in a line. After waiting for seven minutes, Johnny joined them, now wearing his blue uniform and dark pants, complete with shiny badge and green pen.

However before roll call could begin, the tones sounded, causing Cap to head to the microphone, Roy and Johnny to head for the squad and everyone else to the engine.

"**STATION 51, FIRE AT THE POUND. 44TH AND WOODLAWN...44TH AND WOODLAWN. CROSS STREET CHOCTAW RD. TIME OUT 09:45"**

"10-4, Station 51 KMG-365." Captain Stanley replied through the mic as he jotted down the address on two pieces of paper.

He handed one paper to Roy who passed it on to Johnny, before running to the engine.

Once on, Mike followed the squad out of the bay and on to the road.

As they proceeded down the road, Cap had to smile. He had his team...his family back, which is the way it should be.

THE END

A/N:

Thanks for reading and sticking with Childhood Disease. Next up to be completed is Bullet. After that I am open to any suggestions from you all!

Don't forget to review this chapter! Reviews are one of the things that keep me going!

Again thanks for reading!

Numb3rsfan


End file.
